Mosquito experts defenseless against EEE

Officials say it is too late in the season for spraying to be effective

By Alice C. Elwell

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Alice C. Elwell

Posted Sep. 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 21, 2013 at 9:10 PM

By Alice C. Elwell

Posted Sep. 21, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 21, 2013 at 9:10 PM

MIDDLEBORO

» Social News

The way mosquito control expert Anthony Texeira puts it – his toolbox for fighting potentially deadly mosquitoes is empty. So everyone needs to be extra careful.

On Friday, Middleboro was declared at critical risk levels for Eastern equine encephalitis after a horse died from the virus. The state Department of Public Health ranks EEE at five levels: remote, low, moderate, high and critical when risk has been determined to be excessive.

The death of the horse was the first indication EEE was in Middleboro, but Texeira, who is superintendent of Plymouth County Mosquito Control, believes the virus has been in town all summer even though it didn’t show up in any samples.

“It’s like fishing,” he said. “Just because you don’t catch a fish, doesn’t mean there aren’t any fish out there.”

Texeira said now that Middleboro has reached critical status, neighboring towns such as Lakeville and Plympton should take notice and consider that they are at equal risk.

In past years, planes were contracted to be on standby to apply a pesticide when EEE reached the critical risk level. But that’s not an option this late in the season and residents can’t rely on ground spraying to knock down the killer mosquitoes either.

Spraying is done between dusk and dawn, and Texeira said now it’s too cold for either method to be effective because mosquitoes aren’t flying when it’s below 60 degrees.

“This is that time of the year we don’t have anything left in our toolbox to go after them,” Texeira said.

And that leaves the responsibility for keeping safe up to the individual.

Middleboro Health Officer Jeanne C. Spalding advises all outside events end before the high risk-times between dusk to dawn when mosquitoes are more active.

As the days cool, the number of mosquitoes is declining, but Texeira said, “It doesn’t mean there isn’t any dangerous mosquitoes out there.”

Texeira said any mosquitoes left over from the summer are more deadly because they are probably infected with EEE.

EEE showed up first in Hanover on July 30. Mosquito experts say the threat of EEE remains in effect until the first hard frost.

The virus has also been found in Abington, Canton, Easton, Halifax, Hanson, Hingham, Kingston, Rockland, West Bridgewater, Whitman, Raynham and Quincy.

Texeira believes the virus is likely present in Plympton and Lakeville, even though no infected mosquitoes have been trapped there.